Settlement

The UK border agency uses settlement, resident, and indefinite leave to remain interchangeably, but Webster does not:

Settle - To place so as to stay; to make quiet or orderly
Resident - living in a place for some length of time; not migratory
Indefinite leave to remain is permission to stay without any time restrictions

To settle is a cause; to be resident is an effect; leave to remain is an indulgence.

Late last night, as I was walking home, I sat on a park bench under a full moon and watched the clouds flow in one direction, the Thames flow in another, and while I can appreciate the physics that cause them to move with purpose, I also understand they have no idea where they are going. 

I have been granted leave to remain because I am resident, but I am not settled. I move with purpose to mask my lack of direction. I plan the weeks because I can't plan the years. I get older but no wiser. There was a time I mocked the water, believing myself the master of my own destiny, until it picked me up and flung me to the far side of the world.

I thought I would be very happy when I achieved this milestone, but it turns out it only reminds me of all the other milestones I've missed.

Ireland

I could fill this page with superlatives--spectacular, amazing, incredible--and still not capture the magic of south-west Ireland.  The grassy slopes ringed by drystone walls leading down the craggy mountains to the azure-blue sea. The blowing sand over Inch beach.  Sheep with their lambs wandering the deserted roads.  The castles and manors and ruins, old and new, dotting the landscape.  The ice-carved valleys of granite.

All experienced from the comfort of my car, because the freezing wind was simply too much to bear.

Ireland 2013 Mar 17, 2013 by Gregg View Album Play slideshow

Where does all the money go

22.5% tax
19% home (15% rent, 2% taxes, 2% utilities)
10% loan repayment
8% pension (similar to 401k)
6% National Insurance (similar to social security)
6.3% transportation (5% auto and 1.3% public transport, although some of this was for business travel which I was reimbursed for)
5.8% entertainment (including dining and dating)
5.3% travel (including Atlanta, Edinburgh, Italy, California, Glasgow, Chester, Ireland)
4% cash
3.5% savings
3% groceries
2.0% health (including gym, medicine, vitamins, and therapist)
1.3% credit card interest
1% clothes
0.5% mobile phone
0.3% charity
1.5% other

I've got a new goal to increase charity to 5% and savings to 20%, but not sure what I want to cut. Maybe it's time I started looking for a new job with a bigger salary...